Laowa just launched its third shift lens in the past month – and it's a world-first ZOOMING shift!
(Image credit: Laowa)
Do you love shift lenses, but wish they had the flexibility of a zoom? Well, Laowa has you covered with its latest product – the world's first zooming shift lens.
Not content with launching a pair of new tilt-shift lenses last month, Laowa's newest shift lens eschews the tilt functionality in favor of adding a wide-angle zoom range.
The new Laowa 12-24mm f/5.6 Zoom Shift is an APS-C lens that offers some pretty remarkable features – starting with that 102.5°-63.9° angle of view coverage, coupled with a constant f/5.6 aperture throughout the zoom range.
Obviously the headline feature here is the ±7mm shift capability. While this, like the aperture, isn't quite as versatile as the ±11mm Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Zero-D Shift and Laowa 20mm f/4 Zero-D Shift lenses, it should be remembered that those are primes.
The First Zoom Shift Lens for APS-C from Laowa - YouTube
While the Laowa 12-24mm f/5.6 Zoom Shift isn't a Zero-D(istortion) optic, the company promises "exceptional distortion control" – something I'm inclined to believe, as Laowa glass tends to excel in this area.
The Zoom Shift is a pretty tiny little lens, too, measuring just 99 x 80mm (that's smaller than a soda can) and weighing in at just 575g. It has a 77mm filter thread (which requires the lens hood to be attached) and has an impressive 15cm close-focusing distance, which should invite some interesting creative opportunities.
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The Laowa 12-24mm f/5.6 Zoom Shift can be ordered now, priced at $699 (approximately £537 / AU$1,053), and is available for Canon RF, Sony E, Nikon Z, Fujifilm X, L-Mount and Canon EF-M – yes, a brand new lens for the discontinued EOS M system!
Be aware that the manufacturer makes a very similar-looking Laowa 12-24mm f/5.6 lens that doesn't feature a shift function – so make sure that you order the right one!
James has 22 years experience as a journalist, serving as editor of Digital Camera World for 6 of them. He started working in the photography industry in 2014, product testing and shooting ad campaigns for Olympus, as well as clients like Aston Martin Racing, Elinchrom and L'Oréal. An Olympus / OM System, Canon and Hasselblad shooter, he has a wealth of knowledge on cameras of all makes – and he loves instant cameras, too.
